tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post1455348853757871743..comments2024-03-17T07:55:51.361+00:00Comments on Help! I Need a Publisher!: Beware of praiseNicola Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-82419828056887726532011-11-23T21:41:43.041+00:002011-11-23T21:41:43.041+00:00Dan - you are so right about being careful about w...Dan - you are so right about being careful about which negatives we take to heart. Yes, it's not just praise that can be a problem. We do have to realise that a criticism may be simply individual personal response and not relevant to what we're doing. <br /><br />All - thanks for your comments. It's really worth noting that for some of us our OHs/parents/kids *are* great critics and Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-34114488911092999752011-11-23T19:53:34.772+00:002011-11-23T19:53:34.772+00:00I think most writing communities are in fact suppo...I think most writing communities are in fact support groups and not critic groups. Praise in a support group is like milk to babies. Easy to swallow, tastes good and makes us able to go on and grow.<br /><br />Solid food is harder to swallow and meant to be eaten by more developed persons/writers. Criticism is the hardest of all to digest and only adults can handle it properly. Others tend to Katalin Havasihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00362554165177127331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-57340864335266770652011-11-23T18:16:06.357+00:002011-11-23T18:16:06.357+00:00Hmm. Maybe it is a Scottish thing - I don't q...Hmm. Maybe it <i>is</i> a Scottish thing - I don't quite trust praise, don't believe it.<br /><br />I belong to a really good on-line writers' group, with a number of published writers who are endlessly helpful - even so, I still wonder if they're somehow pulling their punches when they say they liked my stuff. <br /><br />Oh, and there is no such thing as white chocolate - it Margaret Morton Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01932292910281160827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-21953809727460609252011-11-23T16:24:37.900+00:002011-11-23T16:24:37.900+00:00But this is sort of the reason why I find it impos...But this is sort of the reason why I find it impossible to get good readers. I have one. One person I allow to read my work and whose opinion I respect. <br /><br />But too some writers don't want proper criticism, they only want praise. I have made a vow now to say nothing if it's crap. People really don't want help. I've put in my time, I've been told what's what, and Laurihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11112458658109887868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-9402494256092441812011-11-23T13:47:40.437+00:002011-11-23T13:47:40.437+00:00Thanks for this, I admit that I do love praise but...Thanks for this, I admit that I do love praise but strangly, I get really worried if there is no critism lolwhispering wordshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00817741839344053531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-84653083267473340482011-11-23T13:25:11.897+00:002011-11-23T13:25:11.897+00:00Fiona, I think a writing class in which people ref...Fiona, I think a writing class in which people refrain from saying anything negative is fairly useless. In my writing group, I'm there to learn what I need to fix, and I need people to just spill it. We lead with the positives, but don't hold back when there's something not working.Tyler Torkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11460706772136362593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-65476618754589234902011-11-23T13:22:30.395+00:002011-11-23T13:22:30.395+00:00I see we are in agreement on the issue of white ch...I see we are in agreement on the issue of <a href="http://www.tylertork.com/qna/2011/white-chocolate" rel="nofollow">white chocolate</a>.Tyler Torkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11460706772136362593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-72180160440038449352011-11-23T12:12:44.468+00:002011-11-23T12:12:44.468+00:00For me, the most interesting environment is the we...For me, the most interesting environment is the weekly writing class, in which we are all careful not to say anything negative. You can tell; the atmosphere becomes crisp and fragile. <br /><br />I've learnt to infer what might be wrong from the comments which are not made, as on the lines of 'damned with faint praise'. <br /><br />Although I don't like criticism I have a tougher Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12817023658086779385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-31316583077602179362011-11-23T11:40:14.320+00:002011-11-23T11:40:14.320+00:00I'm with Helen, very timely post indeed. My wi...I'm with Helen, very timely post indeed. My wife just read my MS and has come back with a lot of praise (and so did my sister-in-law). That's great, it feels nice. My wife probably thinks I'm nuts, though, because I keep asking her, "Great, but what is *wrong* with it? What *doesn't* work?" I have to tease the criticism out of her, a little at a time. And yes, it is JeffOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07947660745120963286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-4824629739490121862011-11-23T11:21:57.734+00:002011-11-23T11:21:57.734+00:00Perhaps because I’m also crabbit, Scottish and a w...Perhaps because I’m also crabbit, Scottish and a wee bit of a chiropteran myself (not sure what the male equivalent of ‘bat’ is so we’ll go with that) I tend to dismiss pretty much all praise unless it’s from my wife and I can assure you that if she says anything I write is ‘good’ you can believe it’s excellent; not all family members dole out praise where none is due (I got none whatsoever from Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-60289601082408364812011-11-23T09:45:44.804+00:002011-11-23T09:45:44.804+00:00A very timely post for me- on my way to uni to hav...A very timely post for me- on my way to uni to have my work critiqued in my MLitt class. I'm not expecting huge dollops of praise but if any comes my way, I'll be sure to very carefully assess it. Thanks!Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-56945993610543445112011-11-23T09:17:37.930+00:002011-11-23T09:17:37.930+00:00Great post, and I so agree about some online forum...Great post, and I so agree about some online forums - not only the don't-take-any-notice-of-the-nasty-agent comments, but also the your-writing-is-brilliant-now-read-mine variety.<br /><br />My writing group can be useful on a micro level, but there's no time to work on bigger plot issues. And we're an interesting group - we know who is fragile, and we are kinder to them. A couple of JOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03127111575563904349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-24096956653629164662011-11-23T09:17:21.887+00:002011-11-23T09:17:21.887+00:00I was always told white chocolate isn't actual...I was always told white chocolate isn't actually chocolate but solidified cocoa butter, so the rule remains untarnished.<br /><br />Very true about a lot of writing sites!<br /><br />Funny thing, praise. I know very few people serious about writing who would ever listen to a word of praise (do people really believe the good stuff they're told? I always thought they smiled sweetly and saidDan Hollowayhttp://danholloway.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-91870675902175094432011-11-23T08:17:13.808+00:002011-11-23T08:17:13.808+00:00Apart from making me REALLY need some chocolate no...Apart from making me REALLY need some chocolate now, thanks for that, this was a great post. There's lots of advice to not take rejection personally, it's only one opinion, etc, which is helpful when you have a bruised ego but praise combined with constructive criticism from a reputable source is worth its weight in gold. Or chocolate.<br /><br />*dives into car and zooms to supermarket Rebecca Brownhttp://www.rebeccaebrown.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-80238915368923839022011-11-23T07:53:15.677+00:002011-11-23T07:53:15.677+00:00I like praise as much as anyone, but criticism is ...I like praise as much as anyone, but criticism is more helpful. If a fault is pointed out we can try to correct it.Patsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12263765378083045973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-47632463402418805592011-11-23T07:42:59.034+00:002011-11-23T07:42:59.034+00:00Great post. So true. For me, there's one perso...Great post. So true. For me, there's one person above all who I try hard to draw praise from; my agent. If she says something good about my work, I know she means it. How do I know this? Because when there's something she doesn't like, she gives it to me straight. 'No,' she says. 'I don't like that. That's no good at all.'<br />That puts me right in my place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com